Only three out of 113 survive as plane crashes on take-off

THREE survivors have reportedly been taken to hospital in a critical condition after a plane crashed on take-off from an airport in Cuba.

The Boeing 737, operated by Cubana de Aviación, crashed shortly after leaving José Martí International Airport in Havana yesterday.

The plane, with 104 passengers and nine foreign crew aboard, ploughed into a farm field where firefighters sprayed the charred fuselage with hoses after it came down. It had been on a short jaunt to the eastern Cuban city of Holguín.

Government officials, including President Miguel Díaz-Canel, rushed to the site, along with a large number of emergency medical workers.

‘My daughter is 24, my God, she’s only 24!’ cried Beatriz Pantoja.

Her daughter, Leticia, was a passenger on the doomed plane. The young woman, along with other members of her family, were rushed to a private area inside an airport terminal following the crash.

Just the day previously – on Thursday – the Cuban First Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa had met with officials from Cubana to discuss improvements to its service.

The airline is notorious for its frequent delays and cancellations, which Cubana blames on a lack of parts and planes due to the US trade embargo on the island.

Yesterday’s crash was Cuba’s third major aviation accident since 2010.